African Spurred Tortoises (Geochelone sulcata)
African Spurred Tortoises (Geochelone sulcata) are the third largest species of tortoise in the world, after the Galapagos and Aldabra tortoises. Adult sulcata tortoises can weigh 70 to 150 pounds, and measure 24 to 30 inches in shell length.
Buyer Beware! Sulcata tortoises are frequently available in pet stores as cute tiny hatchlings. However, pet stores invariably do not provide correct care information for these tortoises, and many times they fail to tell just how large and how quickly these tortoises will grow.
An adult sulcata easily fills a wheelbarrow; sometimes this is the easiest way to get them where you want or need them to go.
Even people who know about sulcata tortoises' eventual size may go ahead and buy one, thinking that "Well, when it gets too big, I'll just give it to the Zoo." Those folks are in for a rude shock later on. Most zoos have neither the funding nor the space to feed and house unwanted exotic pets that have suddenly become "inconvenient" for their owners. In fact, when the Albuquerque Zoo gets phone calls or emails from people who want to give them a sulcata tortoise, the Zoo refers them to us!
How to take care of your sulcata tortoise: Sulcata are grazing tortoises, and are often referred to as "horses with shells" by their owners. Sulcata should be fed a diet of grasses and weeds -- NOT grocery store produce or thawed frozen veggies! These tortoises also do not hibernate during the winter, so owners must provide adequately heated winter housing (kept at 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit) for them. Sulcata tortoises are also extremely good excavators -- one of our torts dug herself a seven-foot-deep burrow in clay soil over a single afternoon -- so any fencing must be sunk at least three feet into the ground to properly contain them.
All tortoise pets should be considered a lifetime commitment, as most species have been documented to live at least 70 to 100 years. Dedicated tortoise owners frequently leave specific instructions in their wills about who will take care of their tortoises after they themselves have passed on.
If you decide to keep sulcata tortoises, please visit the following websites to get accurate care information.